King-ring game-board.



PATENTED APR. 2l, 1903.

' C. J. DORSEY.

KING RING GAMB BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED/MAY 12. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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I v l Clito'emu UNITED 4STATES PATENT Fries.

CHARLES J. DORSEY, OFBALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY S. DULANEY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

KING-RING GAME-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 725,684, dated April 21, 1903. Application filed May 12, 1902 Serial No. 106,977. v(No model.)

'l'o a/Z whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. DoRsEY, a resident of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in King-Ring Game-Boards; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itpertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates tegame-boards; and the main object of the invention is to provide a new attractive game-board requiring skill to successfully operate, but involving also enough of the element of chanceto maintain continued interest in playing.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of the game-board. Fig. 2 is a front view on a smaller scale. Fig. 3 is a side View thereof.

Numeral l indicates a board, around the edge of which is a rim 2. In practice the board has beenmade twenty-five inches by nineteen inches, the rim being one and onhel fourth inches high; but these proportions are not necessary. VAt the front end of the board.

and just inside the rim, centrally arranged,

is an elevated shooting-.platform 3, consisting of a sheet-metal plate 4: or plate of other sufficiently strong and durable material supported by standards 5, which may be two and one-half inches or more in height. The plate a preferably inclines slightly upward toward the rear of the board, as indicated in Fig. 3, though this is not essential, provided Vthe platform is considerably higher than the pins, particularly the king-pin and the fence-pins, hereinafterdescribed. At the center of its length the plate has a section 6 with greater inclination than that of plate 4:. As shown in Fig. 1, the rear edge of plate 4 extends back beyond the the elasticity of the plate the rear edge there- 1 of can be' depressed or elevated a little at will by pressure of the hand down or up thereon. This enables a player to vary his plays not only by the force of projection of the rings when snapping them with his finger, but also by changes in the elevation or the depression of the plane of projection. The central section or part 6 on the platform has a much greater inclination than the main platform, (even when the latter is deflected, as above standards, so that owingto 'pins may described,) and a skilful playercan frequently land 'rings on pins when shooting from this part 6 more successfully than when shooting from the platform itself.

A pin 8, having at one end an enlarged head 9 and at the other end a circumferential groove 10, is provided, which is adapted to fit into holes in standards 5. A latch 11 is pivoted to one standard and can be swung into or out of groove 10. The latch and groove in the rod form means for locking the pin'in place when desired. Said pin isdesigned to support twenty-four (or other number) rings 25 26, half of the rings being of one color, as red, and the other half another color, as yellow, the rings of each color being for separate players. When beginning to play, the latch is raised and the rod pulled out, allowing the rings 25 26 to drop onto the board,and each player takes those of his color.

Back of the platform, supported in the board is, a transverse row of pins v2S, called fence pins. lThese may be about two inches in height, but should not be as high as .or higher than the rear edge of plate 4:. Each fence-pin is given any arbitrary value, indicated by the numbers in front of the pins,

' the values preferably being high, but below the gamelimit. Backof the fence-pins, centrally on the board, is a pin 29which because of its important function in the game is called the king-pin. Back of the kingpin are a group, preferably eral rows, of pins 30. These are preferably but not necessarily inprows of arc shape, with their common center at Itherking-pin.Y Each pin is given a value, and some may be positive andsomc negative; but this is not essential. The pins may be of any color or of several colors, and the board Vmay be decorated by bands `3l of selected colors. The be of uniform height or of varying heights. In front of the fence-pins, at each side of the board, is a spacemarked by the color of the rings of the playeron the same consisting of sev- IOO the same side of the board. If desired, the redemption-rings and the dead-rings may be joined by paths 35 36 of bright color painted on the board.

Supported on the rim 2, across the rear end of the board, is a ringreturning wall or screen 37-that is, one adapted when a ring is projected against it to cause it to rebound toward and sometimes onto the pins. In the preferred form the screen consists of a wire frame 38, substantially rectangular, supported on the rim by extensions 39, which tit tightly but removably in vertical holes in said rim, and on the frame is a cord or wire netting, fabric, or other sheet closure for the rectangular frame. 'Ihe closure of the frame is sufficiently tense to be elastic, so

that when comparatively non-elastic ringsv 25 or 26, as rings of wood, are thrown against it said rings will be thrown reversely-that is, toward the front of the board. If the rings themselves are quite elastic-for instance, if of rubberthe screen need not be so elastic, since a mere plate of Wood, card-l board, metal, or the like would answer; but

the netting is the best form.

Along the side rims of the board for a part of the length thereof, beginning at the rear corners, are side screens 42, which may be like the end screen or different, if desired. Preferably their frames 43 taper downward toward the front of the board. (See Fig` 3.) It is notimportant that screens 42 have much elasticity, as their main function is to prevent escape from the board of rings shot. For transportation the screens can be pulled from the rim and laid fiat.

Each player is or may be provided with equal numbers of checks'44 45, (checks 44 being of one color and checks 45 of a dierent color,) the values marked on the checks 44 being the same as those on checks 45.

One method of using the board is as follows: The first player takes his twelve rings,

places them one by one either directly on the platform or on the extension 6 thereof, and with his finger snaps it toward or against the end screen with such force as his judgment and skill dictate. When this player has shot all of his rings, if any of them have been landed on pins the sum of the values of those pins is taken down. If the sum amounts to the total of the game-say five hundred-the first player wins without giving No. 2 a play. So, too, if the player lands a ring on the king-pin he Wins, even if no other ring is landed on any pin. If any of the players rings find their way to the deadringon his opponents side of the board or onto the pin therein, they become dead-that is, their user cannot shoot them in subsequent plays in thesame game. Thus his number of shots Will'be reduced one, two, or more, according to the number of rings in the dead-ring; butif a-ring of the rst'player lands on the circle of his own color (preferably on his side of the board) marked Redeems one he is entitled to take back one ring from the dead circle or space, if one or more rings are there. If player No. 1 does not win at his firstv play, No. 2 has his turn. Then No. l has another turn, and so on until one player gets ve hundred points, and thus wins. The playing may be varied by using the numbered checks, as follows: After both players have had their turn the points won by one player are subtracted from those of the other and the player having the smaller number of points is required to give to the other player checks to the value of the dierence between the players numbers of points. Other variations may be made in the playing of the game.

I claim- 1. In a game-board, an elevated upwardlyiuclining support at one end of the board for supporting rings to be shot, a yring-returning screen at the opposite end of the board, a group of pins 30 at the screen end of the board, pin 29 in front of pins 30, the transverse row of pins 28 between pin 29 and said support and pins 32, 33 in front of pins 28.

2. In a game-board, an elevatedsupport at one end of the board for supporting one or more rings to be shot, a ring-returning screen at the opposite end of the board,ringreceiving pins in concentric arcs between the support and the screen, the pin 29 between the support and the first-mentioned ring-receiving pins, and a transverse row of pins 28 between the support and the pin 29.

3. In a game-board, an elevated support at one end of the board for supporting one or more rings to be shot, a screen at the opposite end of the board, ring-receiving pins in concentric arcs between the support and the screen, and a pin at the center of said arcs.

4. In a gaine-board, an elevated support at one end of the board for supporting one or more rings to be shot, a screen at the opposite end of the board, ring-receiving pins, in concentric arcs, a pin at the center of the arcs between the support and the screen, a transverse row of pins 28 between the center pin and the elevated support, and `two opposite pins 32, 33 between pins 28 and said support.

5. The combination of the board, and the support for rings to be shot, the support consisting of standards 5, a plate on the standards but extending a distance to the rear of the standards, the support being thus made yielding, whereby the rear edge of said support can be raised or depressed to change its inclination and, consequently, the direction of projection of the ring, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this speciiication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES J. DORSEY. Witnesses: Y

JAS. B.' HUBBARD, C. CHAs. FRIEDEL.

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